158 THE ROSE BOOK 



is the only loyal way of growing the royal flower. 

 ^Further, we shall find that the rose garden lends itself 

 to such infinite variety of design, to the exercise of so 

 much skill, and the display of such artistic feeling that 

 its conception and creation prove a fascinating task. 



Providing that the design is simple — and is not sim- 

 plicity the highest form of beauty ? — ^the rest may be 

 left very largely to the imagination and desires of the 

 owner. There is only one other chose necessaire : the 

 choice of a sunny spot. A rose deprived of sunshine is 

 like a wild bird caged, and wUl languish similarly. To 

 plant roses in the shade is even a more dangerous ex- 

 periment than to cage a wild bird, for whereas some 

 birds can be inured to the life confined, very few roses 

 can be acclimatised to the shade. Sunshine is the very 

 life of the garden of roses. Without it all the best- 

 laid schemes may, and probably will, come to nought. 



To grow roses in the shade you have to pick 

 and choose most carefully, and the glories of the rose 

 world are not available. So choose above all things a 

 spot that is sunny, even if it is not sheltered, though 

 rather make choice of one that possesses both advan- 

 tages. Then, with fair planting, cautious manuring 

 and hard pruning, shall your garden blossom forth in 

 due season, yielding up posy on posy, and still more 

 posies. 



In the matter of actual design there is scope for 

 greater definiteness than for instance in the making of 

 a rock garden. You cannot very well draw up a plan for 

 this and advise the gardener to put one rock here and 



